1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle door apparatus and, more particularly, to a vehicle door apparatus consisting of a window regulator for lifting and pulling down a window glass, which is of an arm type of which the top end portion of the arm is connected to the bottom portion of the window glass.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a vehicle door apparatus for lifting or pulling down a window glass in a door of an automobile is exemplified a window regulator of a so-called arm type for lifting or pulling down a window glass. More specifically, the window regulator of the arm type is provided with an arm that is rotatably moved in accordacnce with the operation of an operator. In this type of the window regulator, the arm is generally connected to a guide member mounted at the bottom portion of the window glass. The guide member is arranged to extend in the lengthwise direction or in the direction from the front to rear end portions of the window glass and to guide the top end portion of the arm in the lengthwise direction of the window glass. With this arrangement, the end portion of the arm is allowed to move in the lengthwise direction by the guidance with the guide member in accordance with the rotation of the arm constituting the window regulator, thereby lifting or pulling down the window glass.
Accordingly, in order to allow the window regulator of the arm type to smoothly lift or pull down the window glass, it is necessary that the top end portion of the arm is construsted so as to smoothly move by the guidance of the guide member.
Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 191,618/1982 discloses a vehicle door apparatus with a window regulator of the arm type, which is shown to have a connection structure between an arm and a window glass. In this structure, a bottom guide channel extending in the lengthwise (front side - rear side) direction of the window glass is fixed to the bottom end portion of window glass. The top end portion of the arm is arranged so as to face the bottom guide channel, and a pin extending in the direction intersecting at right angle to a plate surface of the window glass is fixed to the top end portion of the arm and arranged within the bottom guide channel.
Accordingly, in order to allow the arm of the window regulator to smoothly move in the bottom guide channel in conventional window regulator, it is necessary to ensure that the facing arrangement between the top end portion of the arm and the bottom guide channel, i.e., the window glass, is always in parallel and, specifically, to lift or pull down the window glass so as not to vary the direction of the bottom end portion of the window glass. In other words, it is necessary to arrange the window glass to be lifted or pulled down in such a manner that the locus of movement of the bottom end portion of the window glass is straight in the upward-downward direction.
Recently, a window glass having a curved surface has been more frequently employed for doors of an automobile. Accordingly, if a curved-surface window glass is lifted or pulled down while keeping the direction of the bottom end portion of the window glass in one direction, it is necessary to broaden the width of a space for accommodating the window glass formed by an inner door panel and outer door panel, i.e., the thickness of a door, in accordance with enlargement of a curvature of a window glass.